Greek court ruling allowing US to seize control of Iranian oil cargo overturned

A Greek court on Wednesday overturned a previous court ruling that allowed the United States to seize part of an Iranian oil cargo on an Iranian-flagged tanker off the coast of Greece, three sources familiar with the matter said.

In response to the incident, Iran seized two Greek tankers in the Persian Gulf last month. Tehran had previously warned that it would take punitive measures against Athens.

A legal source told Reuters that Iran had also appealed the court's initial decision. "The move to overturn the verdict has been accepted by the court," the source added.

It is not yet clear whether the US or Greek governments will appeal the ruling, which was handed down by the Chalkis Regional Court of Appeal. The outcome of that appeal has not yet been made public.

Greece had called Iran's seizure of two Greek tankers in the Persian Gulf "piracy."

It is worth noting that Greek authorities seized the Iranian-flagged oil tanker Pegasus last month. The ship, with 19 Russian crew members, was detained off the coast of the southern island of Oia due to EU sanctions.
The ship was reportedly seized as part of EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. However, the ship was later released due to uncertainty over sanctions on its owners.

The name of this tanker, which previously sailed under the Russian flag, was changed to "Lana" on March 1st, and the Iranian flag was raised above it on May 1st.

The United States-based group "Unity Against Nuclear Iran," which opposes Iran's nuclear program and the revival of the JCPOA, and monitors Iran-related tanker traffic, has announced that Pegasus loaded about 700,000 barrels of crude oil from Iran's Siri Island on August 19, 2021.

According to the group's analysis, Pegasus previously transported more than 3 million barrels of Iranian oil in 2021, of which more than 2.6 million barrels reached China.
In 2020, Washington seized four shipments of Iranian fuel bound for Venezuela and, with the help of undisclosed foreign partners, transferred them to two other ships. The shipments then arrived in the United States.
The seizure of these shipments took place after a district court in the United States issued a warrant to seize the shipments in a civil case.

Source: Voice of America